Mark Bosnich reckons Paul Lambert is running out of time to turn things around at Aston Villa.

After the 5-0 battering at Arsenal, the former Holte End hero told talkSPORT that the club are heading for the drop unless there’s a huge turnaround.

The Australian pundit also said that Lambert should shoulder the blame as the goal-shy claret and blues sit just three points above the relegation zone ahead of another daunting clash against Chelsea next weekend.

Speaking on the Alan Brazil Sports Breakfast show, Bosnich said: “It is coming to a head.

“I have said time and time again that nobody is too good to go down. They can only flirt with relegation so many times before they go down.

“I said at the start of the season that if you put Aston Villa’s starting eleven against Southampton’s starting eleven it would have been a toss-up (over which side is stronger) and maybe you would have just leaned towards Aston Villa. Ronald Koeman has shown exactly what can be done.

“Whichever job you are in, there comes a time when you being there is not the right thing. You have got to do the right thing and actually turn round and say, ‘listen, maybe somebody can come in and do better’. I think it is approaching that moment for Paul.

“Ever since he was given a contract extension at the beginning of the season it has gone from bad to worse. He has got to change his footballing philosophy completely.

“He has got to change. If he fails to adapt or change, somebody is going to pull the trigger for him. If they keep going like they are going, they will go down.”

At this stage Lambert’s job is safe and there are no signs of chairman Randy Lerner making a change.

The American owner sanctioned deals for Carles Gil and Scott Sinclair recently which suggests he still backs the manager.